“Helen Castor has an exhilarating narrative gift.” — Hilary Mantel
Historian, writer and broadcaster
Helen Castor is a British historian of medieval and Tudor England, an acclaimed author, and a familiar voice on BBC radio and television. She studied at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, taught and researched at Cambridge, and remains connected with Sidney Sussex College while writing history for a wide public audience.
Her work brings political power, family life and contested reputations into sharp focus — from queens who ruled before Elizabeth I to the Paston letters, Joan of Arc, and the rivalry of Richard II and Henry IV.
Books
Among her best-known books are Blood & Roses, a portrait of the Paston family during the Wars of the Roses (longlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize and winner of the English Association’s Beatrice White Prize); She-Wolves, on the women who ruled England before Elizabeth; and Joan of Arc: A History, widely praised as popular history at its best.
Later work includes Elizabeth I: A Study in Insecurity and The Eagle and the Hart, her account of Richard II and Henry IV. Explore the full list on the Books page.
Radio & television
Helen has presented BBC Radio 4’s Making History and documentary series drawn from her books, including television programmes based on She-Wolves and Joan of Arc. See selected broadcast work under Radio & TV and public appearances under Talks.
Why this archive site
This site gathers core pages about Helen Castor’s writing and broadcasting — a clear, readable introduction to her books and themes for readers discovering medieval history for the first time.